When did you first discover Guns N' Roses? What's your favorite Guns N' Roses song? What's your best Guns N Roses memory? What does the band mean to you?

James "Munky" Shaffer of Korn and Fear and the Nervous System: I was probably 17-years-old when I first heard Guns N' Roses. Immediately, I noticed they had that "fuck you" attitude about everything. It wasn't just in the lyrics and the way Axl Rose sang either. The instruments and the tones were so raw. The way Izzy Stradlin and Slash's guitar parts intertwined was absolutely incredible. I was dissecting the way they worked together via the left and right speaker. Appetite for Destruction is a masterpiece. It's probably the best rock 'n' roll album next to Led Zeppelin records. They have so many good songs. You can't pick one. It's like a book. You have to immerse yourself in it from start to finish in order to see what happens at the end. That solo in "November Rain" is one of the best ever. We did some dates with them in Australia last year, and they are so good. The musicians that Axl has behind him are great. They're brilliant guitar players. My wife Evis and I had stayed until the very end of the show. At the end, Axl wanted me to come up and do the rock 'n' roll bow [Laughs]. I was there to represent. It was a great moment that I'll never forget.

Corey Taylor of Slipknot & Stone Sour: I remember the first time I heard Guns N' Roses. It was at three in the morning on MTV's Headbanger's Ball. The video for "Welcome to the Jungle" came on, and we were all sitting there in my mom's trailer in Waterloo, IA. We were trying to make our way through the first hour of the show which was the fluff in order to get to the second hour which was always the good shit. It was the underground stuff. That's when they first premiered "Welcome to the Jungle". I remember all of us stopping and going, "What the fuck is this?" We kind of shit our pants [Laughs]. The next day, we all went out and looked for Appetite for Destruction. It fast became one of our favorite albums. The great thing about Guns N' Roses was they were punk enough for my punk friends, they were metal enough for my metal friends, and they were hard rock enough for my hard rock friends. Also, they were mainstream enough that by the time I was looking for other things, they were starting to explode with the mainstream audience. As big as they got, they were still a fantastic hard rock band. They were the gutter for everyone to see, and it was beautiful. It was the first time we stopped, looked, and said, "Well, fuck, if they can do it, why can't we?" I remember seeing the Ritz concert as well on MTV. Seeing them live was fantastic. I got to see them with Aerosmith on the Permanent Vacation tour. Axl just walked up to the microphone and went, "This song's called 'Mr. Brownstone'." I was like, "Holy fucking shit, it's on!" I was a lifelong fan. Their legacy is un-fucking-deniable. They were still relevant when the alternative revolution happened and all of the frou-frou bands went away. Guns N' Roses was still there. They basically told everyone to fuck off. What more attitude do you need?

Josh Klinghoffer of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Dot Hacker: Guns N' Roses is a band I listened to as a kid that I still love. I remember my father bought the Appetite for Destruction cassette for me. He works in film and television. He brought it home from the Warner Bros. store. He'd always get tapes for me and bring them home. I also remember listening to Lies with my mother in the car and apologizing for the lyrics. I had Appetite when "Patience" came out, and that was a huge deal. At the time, I was a drummer, and that song had no drums. It made me think of music in a different way.

Efren Ramirez [Napoleon Dynamite, Crank, Eastbound & Down]: I first heard Guns N' Roses in the film, The Dead Pool. It was directed by Buddy Van Horn, and Dirty Harry was handling it! Clint Eastwood was awesome as always. Then, I remember seeing the band's video for "Welcome to the Jungle" on MTV. My grandma flipped out calling them, "Bola de locos"—which means "bunch of crazies". But I loved it because it was raw. It was such a different sound with Axl's vocals and Slash's guitar riffs. My favorites will always be "Welcome to the Jungle" and "November Rain". Yeah, okay, we know they became famous [Laughs]. That's great, but we also must remember this band had such great talent. Slash and Axl were such an awesome duo like Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl [Nirvana], Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro [Jane's Addiciton], Robert Plant and Jimmy Page [Led Zeppelin], David Gahan and Martin Gore [Depeche Mode] and Napoleon and Pedro [Laughs]. Yeah, you feel me! I actually kissed my first girlfriend to "November Rain". It was at some house party. Her name was Magdeline, and she was half-French and half-Argentinian. It was around Halloween, and to this day no girl has ever kissed me as she did. It was fucking awesome!

I first heard and saw Guns N' Roses on MTV with their "Welcome to the Jungle" video. I remember thinking, "Who the 'eff' are these guys? They're amazing!" Their hard rock I-don't-give-a-shit style kicked me in my nards. I was a fan ever since. My favorites song is "Mr. Brownstone"…next question. My best Guns N' Roses memory is watching Terminator 2: Judgment Day and being bummed that only part of "You Could Be Mine" was played in the film. I wanted to hear the song in its entirety! To me, Guns N' Roses represents the wild untamed creative sound of metal that has, and will, stand the test of time.

Right from their first album, Appetite For Destruction, I was hooked on Guns N' Roses. That album has two of my favorite songs to date," Welcome To the Jungle" and "Sweet Child O' Mine." I started to make my trek to Los Angeles to pursue my dreams of becoming an actor around that time and every time I'd come to town and be cruising around and hear "Welcome to the Jungle" on the radio (because it was being played all the time then), and I'd get excited about my life and what was to come. I know it sounds stupid but that's the truth! I don't know if you know this about me, but I was an inspiring guitarist myself and Slash's style of playing was amazing to me. There's something so individual about what he does and how he does it. I've never been able to find another guitarist that matches his style of soloing. When Slash plays, you always know it's him. I realized I didn't have a chance at the guitar, so I moved on to wrestling and acting. So thanks Slash for the career direction, just kidding [Laughs].

Keith Nelson of Buckcherry: I remember being in college and sitting there watching the "Welcome to the Jungle" video and having my mind blown. Like everyone else, I was like, "What the fuck is that?" [Laughs] It was very exciting and inspiring. It was nice to see a bunch of dudes that didn't look like chicks at the time. You really have to go back in the time machine and remember what the most popular stuff was. It was a bunch of guys that looked like girls. Guns N' Roses wasn't that. It was a bunch of dudes off the street. It was raw and had energy unlike anything else. It was very inspiring.

Ben Bruce of Asking Alexandria: I remember I was probably about 12-years-old, and my stepdad started introducing me to a lot of different rock bands such as The Scorpions, Deep Purple and, obviously, Guns N' Roses. I fell in love with Appetite for Destruction. To this day, I still believe it to be one of rock's best albums. The raw energy, the aggression and the complete lack of care or respect for anything other than themselves that seemed to pour from the album really hit me hard. It was around this time that I truly started working hard on guitar and songwriting. My best memory to date is definitely playing with them in New Jersey this year. Opening up for Guns N' Roses was just an insane experience that I will never forget.

Johann Urb [Resident Evil: Retribution, 2012, Strictly Sexual]: I was in junior high school in Finland, and one of my friends was super into Guns N' Roses. It was so nice to hear something original, powerful, and rebellious after all of those years of soft rock hair bands that were just about shoulder pads, tight jeans, and makeup. These guys rocked the house in a whole new way and made everyone else look like sissies—except for real metal bands, of course. "Raw" is the word that comes to mind, when I think of Guns N' Roses. Axl's voice and range were sick! The lyrics were insanely good, and they had the badass hardcore rock vibe balanced out with perfect ballads. They were the best rock band of that time, hands-down. I have lots of great memories and powerful dreams of Los Angeles—my future home, before I even moved here—associated with the band. I have so many memoires of partying and singing virtually every song on Appetite For Destruction and "Patience" over and over again with my closest friends over many a drink. Lots of fun was had, and lots of moshing was involved.

DJ Jesse Marco [Project X]: I heard "Welcome to the Jungle" on the radio probably when I was three-years-old driving in the car with my mom. It may be cliché, but "Sweet Child O' Mine" really does it for me, every time. I remember asking my guitar teacher to teach me the opening solo, and then I immediately went and showed all my friends. My best Guns N' Roses memory is probably Axl hanging out in the DJ booth while I'm playing "Welcome To The Jungle" and having him ask me to play some hip-hop. He's a big hip-hop fan I guess. Guns N' Roses are just synonymous with good energy. I feel like going out, partying and shouting every word to "Sweet Child O' Mine" is now a right of passage. I just don't think it'll ever get boring, it's classic.

Sid Wilson of Slipknot: I remember hearing Guns N' Roses on bootlegs and people saying, "They are better than L.A. Guns!" When Appetite for Destruction came out, I was on it. I used to skate to that album all of the time! [See more about Sid's phenomenal solo record here!]

Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society: I first discovered Guns N' Roses in 1987 when I went to California to play with Ozzy Osbourne. There are so many GNR songs to choose from. They are all slamming. My best memory was seeing them in 1988 at the Felt Forum underneath the Garden. Barely any production, it was nothing but the music, and it truly showed how amazing they were. It was a breath of fresh air from what was going on in the music scene. They lived, breathed, and bled what they believed in which made them the real deal.

Mark Tremonti of Creed and Alter Bridge: I remember exactly where I was when "Welcome to the Jungle" came on the radio. I was in Chicago in the car with my dad headed to soccer practice. The song came on the radio. When he got back in the car, I was like, "Listen to this." Before you knew it, the song blew up and they were biggest band on earth. I think everybody loves it. It's one of the greatest rock albums of all time. It was great to play with Slash. He's a gentleman and a great guy. I've gotten to play with him a few times, and I got to spend a few minutes talking to him. He's a down-to-earth genuine guy.

Kevin Rudolf: I'm a huge Guns N' Roses fan! I was a kid, and "Welcome to the Jungle" had just come out on MTV. I looked at them, and I remember going, "Holy shit, that guy has fucking black teeth" [Laughs]. Watching Axl Rose on stage, that's the only thing I remember! I obviously grew to love their records, but that was my very first impression. First of all, they write incredible songs. They're real players, but they also have an undeniable chemistry. When they come together, it's magic. Did I relate to "Mr. Brownstone" when I was six-years-old? No, I didn't know what they were talking about but I loved the record. I met Duff McKagan well after he was in Guns N' Roses. I met him in a club in downtown New York. I told him I was a huge fan and we talked for a couple of minutes. That was super cool.

Scott Ian of Anthrax: I think I first heard them in early 1987. I heard tracks before Appetite for Destruction was out. I saw them at the Ritz in NYC not long after that as well. "It's So Easy" is my favorite Guns N' Roses song. My best memory is walking in the dressing room at the Ritz and Izzy and Slash both said "S.O.D.!" They brought rock back at a time when there wasn't any by making a great record that has obviously stood the test of time...One of the best bands of my lifetime.

Adrian Patrick of Otherwise: I was at my cousin's house, and I saw the music video for "Welcome to the Jungle" on MTV. I was a little kid. I remember that scene when Axl steps off the bus in L.A. Growing up in Las Vegas, we were so close to Los Angeles. Our parents took us to Disneyland every couple of years. I was very inundated with the L.A. West Coast vibe. I remember that scene when Axl steps off the bus on Hollywood Boulevard. My favorite city in the world was Los Angeles, and I had no idea why. It was probably because of Guns N' Roses. Axl is one of the top 5 baddest vocalists in rock 'n' roll ever.

James Durbin: You've got to love your roots and where you come from. I was in middle school, and I heard the big songs "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Sweet Child O' Mine". I really liked them. We were at Costco, and I saw they were selling Guns N' Roses's Greatest Hits for ten bucks. Since it was so cheap, I begged my mom to get it for me. We got it. It's got all of the greatest, most popular songs on there, and then I got a little deeper into it and found the strange and eclectic sounds. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens at this Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony with these guys. Are they really all going to go up there? Who knows…My favorite song would have to be "Nightrain". The subject matter is pretty fucked up, and that's why I like it. It's a big middle finger to society.

Dave Garofalo of SafetySuit: I first heard Guns N' Roses when I was 13-years-old and had never touched a guitar yet. The minute I saw Slash standing on the piano in the "November Rain" music video, I knew two things immediately—one, I have to learn how to play guitar and two, that is the greatest thing I have ever seen. Slash is the reason I play guitar right now. His heartfelt guitar riffs taught me how to blend melody that shoots into your soul with guitar awesomeness that will leave your face on the floor in a puddle of melted wax. My favorite song would have to be "November Rain". Guns N' Roses forever!

Mike Portnoy of Adrenaline Mob: I first heard "Welcome to the Jungle" on MTV, like everybody else. The songs would cling in your subconscious. They were all over the radio constantly. I was immersed in the thrash world at the time, but there was a part of me that grew up listening to The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith, so I could appreciate where Guns N' Roses was coming from. The songwriting was great, and Slash's guitar playing was amazing. The Use Your Illusion albums came out, and not only did they have this gritty, dirty Aerosmith side, but they also had this epic side. They wrote these epics that were big and grandiose. I appreciated their musicality.

Jeff Kendrick of DevilDriver & Founder of AllAxess.com: Guns N' Roses was one of the first hard rock heavy metal bands that I have ever heard and got into. In 1987, I was seven-years-old and I had a classmate in school whose older brother gave him Appetite For Destruction. I remember that this kid would talk about Guns N' Roses like they were the best band ever. I was a shy, timid little kid at the time, but I sincerely remember hearing the band and being completely blown away by what I heard. He put on "Welcome To the Jungle", and I will never forget hearing the intro guitar part and then the song as it builds and builds. I definitely have to say I was a little scared—considering I was seven—but it was one of the those empowering moments from my childhood where I started to feel I was growing up! To this day, I still get ecstatic to listening to any Guns N' Roses song. Now I am a little more adjusted and comfortable to it, but I will never forget the first time I heard it!

J-Dog of Hollywood Undead: Charlie Scene is obsessed with them. He always has been since he was 15-years-old. He had all of the Use Your Illusion I and Appetite for Destruction posters on the wall. I love the musicianship. I think "Sweet Child O' Mine" is one of the top 20 best written songs of all time.

Joel Birch of The Amity Affliction: I was about eight-years-old and riding the bus to school with some kids who were in high school at the time and one of them was rocking the shirt with the two guns and the roses on it—the one that all the hipster fucks wear these days. I was staring at it, and so the kid gave me his Walkman and he had Guns N' Roses playing on a mix tape that he'd made. Funnily enough that's how I discovered Metallica and Megadeth as well. It was quite the mix tape. I thought it was amazing. It was so epic. When you're eight-years-old and you go from listening to Frank Sinatra and those shitty compilations like Best of the 50s and shit like that to hearing something as heavy as Guns N' Roses were back then, it was mind blowing. I don't know why, but I loved how pissed-off the music sounded. When that was coupled with how they presented themselves, I thought they were the coolest motherfuckers I'd ever seen [Laughs]. My best memories are probably smoking my first cigarette, smoking my first joint and just hanging out with my deadbeat mate up the road for about five years just listening to the same records. They're only the best memories because they're funny [Laughs]. I don't smoke weed or cigarettes, but for some reason when I was ten-years-old, I thought they were both cool as fuck!

Syd Duran of Valora: I heard Guns N' Roses a little later on in my life. I was dating a guy in a glam rock band, and he taught me a lot about real rock 'n' roll music and we used to watch rockumentaries all of the time on VH1. I got to know a lot about Guns N' Roses and other bands. I appreciate the musicianship. I saw them at Inland Invasion in 2006, and they put on a great show. I'm a huge Sebastien Bach fan, and they brought him on stage. That was a cool experience for me!

Steve Krolikowski of Fear and the Nervous System and Repeater: In my tape player in seventh grade, I had Warrant, Poison's Flesh & Blood, and two records by Whitesnake. Those things got destroyed by Appetite For Destruction. The only thing that survived Nirvana's Nevermind was Appetite For Destruction. Everything with hair on it got washed away. The album was on the radio for ten years after that. It sounded different than everything out there. It was like a Led Zeppelin record or The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street. You can't forget every song. On that record, they were completely in that space of the legend of rock 'n' roll. That is the one encapsulation that stays there to this day. I can't think of another rock 'n' roll record that sounds this genuine in 25 years. It's a punk record, a metal record, and a rock 'n' roll record all in one.

Javier Colon [Winner of NBC's The Voice Season 1]: I probably knew everything on Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II [Laughs]. I could play you every song. They were high on the list. I could do some "Sweet Child O' Mine" on the acoustic right now if you asked me to. That was all over MTV back in the day, and I would watch MTV all the time so it was what I would listen to.

David Ellefson of Megadeth: Guns N' Roses is the perfect example of how those who are most likely to fail in life become the most likely to succeed in rock 'n' roll. They had the right heart, spirit, and guts to go against the grain and be real rock 'n' roll heroes. You could tell they were going to be HUGE the first time you heard them. They were so brash and offensive; how could you NOT hail them?!

Robert Ortiz of Escape The Fate:Are you kidding me? Guns N' Roses is everything. They've been my favorite band since I was born. Appetite for Destruction is hands down the best rock album ever made. There is no argument; this is simply a fact. It is the second best overall album ever made just behind Michael Jackson's Thriller. This band is the perfect blend of everything you could possibly need in a musical group. The way they look is the perfect complement to how they sound. They're really cool and styling, but they're dirty and honest at the same time. It's why they were so huge. It's why you can show them to a young kid who is far removed from the era of listening to cassette tapes and he won't think it's old people music. They were controversial without having to think about being controversial. They were badass, and girls thought they were hot. The most important thing about Guns 'n Roses is that they never, ever compromised. They spared no expense and didn't care what you thought. "November" Rain is my favorite song. Imagine a nine-minute epic song being a hit radio single. In an era where music videos could be made for millions of dollars and make an artist millions of dollars, no one came close to what they created. I've been all over the world, heard thousands upon thousands of songs and seeing countless concerts, but watching Slash walk out of the little chapel in the middle of the desert to play the best solo of all time is still the coolest thing I've ever seen. I still watch that video and it takes me back into a place of wonder. I lose all sense of reality and never want to leave that vibe, like being a child. This band is magical. While I wasn't trying to look like Slash—I was actually going for Michael Jackson—he gave me the confidence to be who I am and embrace my curly hair and say, "Fuck it". I don't mind being told I look like him.

P.S.

How can I get into the induction ceremony? Fuck yeah!

Rick DeJesus of Adelitas Way: When I was a little kid, I stole Appetite for Destruction from my older brother. I used to listen to it when I was playing video games in my room. "November Rain" is brilliant. There's no other way to describe it. Growing up on them, when I listen to songs like "Patience", "Civil War", "Mr. Brownstone", it's like a timeline of my life. It brings me back to moments when I was younger. They are a huge part of the soundtrack of my life. They are one of my favorite bands of all time.

Hyro Da Hero: They're legends in music. I decided to change the radio station when I was younger so I got to hear every classic rock song they played. I was the one dude that changed the station. I checked them out and dug it. Every Guns N' Roses song is amazing. You see Slash and he's a brother ripping up the guitar. I saw Slash soloing in the "November Rain" video, and I was blown away. The way he gets down is amazing. I love the song he did with Michael Jackson—"Give In To Me". If Michael Jackson gets you, you know you're good [Laughs]!

Eric Turner: When Appetite for Destruction came out, I was floored like everyone else. They were so raw and powerful. I'll admit that I could do a pretty good "serpent" dance impression of Axl Rose at school dances [Laughs]. My favorite song was first "Sweet Child O' Mine". Then when I bought the album, I really got into it. I played it over and over for weeks, and "Welcome to the Jungle" became my favorite. I guess they were the first band that lived up to Led Zeppelin for me.

Mike Schleibaum of Darkest Hour: I first heard them in my friend Raul Gomez's basement. I remember thinking the guitar sounded like god, so I would say the guitar impressed me [Laughs]. I also loved the songs though. They were complex but simple at the same time. I loved Axl's voice too. It reminded me of AC/DC but also something different. In a time when glam singers weren't as gruff, Guns N' Roses was the shit. To me, they are rock and roll personified—all of the self-destructive, hedonistic, greedy attributes of what everyone "thinks" a rock and roll band should be. These guys pushed it to the point most people only dream of and now, well they're the rock band that most rock bands are measured against. I remember seeing them at RFK Stadium with Metallica back in the day. It was crazy. They took like two hours to setup and we only got to see a few songs because the metro was leaving and well half the stadium had to leave at 11:30. However, during that entire two-hour setup, girls flashed their boobs on the big screen. I remember thinking, "This is amazing". Boobs make almost everything cool, but now that I'm older I know; you can see boobs anytime. This is Guns N' Roses.

Donald Carpenter of Eye Empire, ex-Submersed: I think, a lot like everyone else, Appetite For Destruction was my introduction to Guns N' Roses and what a way to start! There are a lot of timeless tracks. I personally like the entire layout of "Civil War". Lyrically, to me, it was their most profound statement—not a lot of flash, just meat and potatoes. Man, I wish I had some personal experience or a concert to reference, but I don't have any. My favorite memory is that they came along as I was discovering my own rock rebellion, and they played a huge part in that soundtrack—the memory of my rebellious youth. They are one of the last truly "iconic" bands we've had. The pickins are slim nowadays, and they were the real deal. It's something I strive for and look up to.

Brett Ditgen of Red Line Chemistry: I first discovered them on MTV when the "Welcome to the Jungle" video came out. It's hard to pick a favorite but if I have to I'll go with "Rocket Queen". There are a lot of good memories associated with them, but the best is jumping on my bed as a kid screaming and air guitaring the end of "Paradise City" like I was on stage. What do they mean to me?...They are legends of my time.

Veno of Seven Circle Sunrise: I’m not really sure when I discovered Guns N' Roses, but I was definitely very young. I have an older brother who listened to Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, and all that. He’s the one who introduced me to Guns N' Roses among others. My Favorite song would have to be “November Rain”. My best memory would be when I saw them live in 2006 in Cleveland, OH. Hearing the breakdown at the end of "November Rain live" was one of the best concert experiences I’ve had, it gave me chills. To me, when I hear Guns N' Roses I can’t help but think of the innocence of childhood, before reality set in. "Sweet Child O' Mine" always takes me back in time.

Taki Sassaris of Eve to Adam: I was sitting in my bedroom in Florida. We had this shitty little television. We weren't really allowed to watch MTV. My brother and I stayed up past our bed time and we were watching MTV. I saw the "Welcome to the Jungle" video. Alex and I were into a lot of different hair metal at the time. When Guns N' Roses came on, it was something different. It had such an aggressive undertone. It had a street element that some of the other groups didn't have. The danger was really apparent. There was something exhilarant about it. I was at The Playboy Mansion for a Ronnie James Dio cancer benefit, and I was at one of the last tables. Lo and behold, I was seated next to Slash. I got a chance to talk to him. I don't get starstruck very easily, but I was nervous to say the least. He's one of my idols and the guys who inspired me to get into rock 'n' roll. I congratulated him on the induction. Axl is out there on tour now, and he's amazing. The music is timeless. "Welcome to the Jungle" is still relevant now more than ever. G N'R Lies is probably my favorite.